EXHIBITION

What to Expect When the Photography Show Returns to New York

The flagship fair of AIPAD—Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD)—offers the medium’s most ardent enthusiasts a survey of the world’s rarest and most revered works.

Hal Fischer, 'Handkerchiefs'; courtesy of Benjamin Ogilvy Projects, Arlington, MA.

On March 31, a roster of 44 international photography galleries will commune in New York City for the Photography Show, AIPAD’s flagship art fair. The exhibition of rare and genre-defining contemporary photography attracts the likes of blue-chip collectors and those who manage collections for the world’s leading museums. 

“The AIPAD galleries are second to none in their connoisseurship and expertise,” director Lydia Melamed Johnson says of the 100-plus artists and four institutions—MUUS Collection, the International Center of Photography (ICP), Aperture, and Fotografiska New York—who will be represented at the show.

It’s easy to see why: a major highlight of this year’s edition is Benjamin Ogilvy Projects’ showcase of Hal Fischer’s Gay Semiotics series from 1977. Described by Fischer as a “lexicon of attraction,” the collection is among the first to combine linguistics and photography. Fischer even revisited the series recently for a photo essay on celebrity queer-baiting. Elsewhere at the fair, Michael Hoppen Gallery will showcase a rare 1954 capture of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Boy Carrying a Wine Bottle, shot in Paris. The image, which the late photographer gifted to Slim Aarons, is a foundational piece of contemporary photography and one of the world’s most recognizable prints.

Eva Stenram, 'Drape (Colour II)'; courtesy of the Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Collectors who gravitate toward 21st-century works won’t want to miss The Ravestijn Gallery’s showing of Swedish photographer Eva Stenram’s surrealist Drape series, in which she superimposes drapery and other textiles over midcentury pinup photos. Isolated glimpses of legs, retro high-heels, and hands pique the viewer’s curiosity to literally pull back the curtain of obfuscation. 

On preview day, VIPs can look forward to seeing the Rijksmuseum’s Mattie Boom and Hans Rooseboom presented with the 2023 AIPAD Award; preview attendees will be the first to see “Monumental Moments,” a new site-specific exhibition of large-scale fine art photography curated by AIPAD.

The Photography Show will take place at Center 415 (415 5th Avenue, New York) from March 31 until April 2.

 

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